GRAND RAPIDS, MI – With a table chalk full of West Michigan college basketball coaches to his right, Holland Christian's Kyle Steigenga grabbed an alley-oop pass from teammate Matt Hurley and threw down a thunderous dunk.

The slam put the finishing touches on a 54-36 win for Steigenga and his U17 West Michigan Lakers Black squad over the Grand Rapids Storm Thursday, July 18, on opening day of the Brawl for the Ball tournament at MVP Fieldhouse.

Kyle Steigenga, who averaged 17 points per game last season at Holland Christian, plays for the West Michigan Lakers Black team, which is in an AAU basketball tournament at MVP Fieldhouse in Grand Rapids this weekend.Grand Rapids Press file photo

It was Steigenga's second slam dunk of the game after driving through the lane and stuffing one home in the first half.

“It's always nice to get those in a game,” said the 6-foot-6 Steigenga, who'll be a senior for the Maroons in the fall. “It was fun.”

Lakers coach Dominic Allen, who played at Cornerstone, said he's seen better dunks from Steigenga throughout the AAU season.

“They were pretty nice, but I don't know if I would put them in the top five from what I've seen this spring from him,” Allen said. “Stick around, it gets better.”

Steigenga led the Lakers with 13 points in the victory, and is one of nearly 1,000 players at the fourth annual event attempting to impress the slew of college coaches in attendance.

Steigenga, who also excels as a wide receiver on the football field, has already received scholarship offers from Lake Superior State, Davenport and Cornerstone.

“This is a really good tournament because you get to play against the best,” Steigenga said. “It's only going to get you better the more you play against the best, and the exposure you get with the (college) coaches here is very cool.”

Steigenga averaged 17 points per game for the Maroons as a junior, and has been a consistent performer for the Lakers the past three years.

“He's a beast, and he has so much ceiling from where he's at right now,” Allen said. “He's so aggressive and athletic, which is pretty noticeable when you watch him play, and he's a great kid. He's a joy to coach and everybody loves him.”

The Lakers' opening-round win in pool play against their AAU rivals was a positive start for what Allen hopes is a successful weekend.

Both teams' rosters consist of standouts from around the area.

“It's a little bit of a rivalry game in AAU ball in West Michigan, and it's always fun to play them,” Allen said. “But it's just the first game of the weekend and there's a lot of games left. I don't think we played very well, and I know they can play better than that. I wouldn't be surprised if we play them again.”

“We're not playing together and we're struggling a little bit trying to blend a lot of individual talent together,” he said. “We got beat by a group that played better as a team, but we're a resilient group. When we play well, we can play with anybody.”

Grand Rapids Storm's Drew Zuidema hits a 3-pointer during at an AAU basketball tournament at MVP on Friday, July 19, 2013. Zuidema will be a senior at NorthPointe Christian in the fall. Lenny Padilla | Mlive.com

Zuidema, who set an area record for 3-pointers last season and has been offered a preferred walk-on spot at Michigan, relishes the opportunity to play close to home.

“This is probably my favorite tournament in the summer because it's in my hometown,” Zuidema said. “Its well-run, some of the top players are here and playing in front of a line of (college) coaches is a dream come true.”

One noticeable absence from the tournament is the AAU squad The Family, which includes Michigan State recruits Eric Davis (Saginaw Arthur Hill) and Trevor Manuel (Lansing Sexton).

The team pulled out the day before the event, which runs through Sunday.

“It was a bummer because we really want to try and get those guys over here,” Martin said. “I have a great relationship with them, but it looks like we laid the groundwork to have them here in the future.”